


Ducktales Medieval

by introvertbookwormsstuff



Category: duckverse
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Drama & Romance, Duckverse - Freeform, F/M, ducktales - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 17,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23039029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/introvertbookwormsstuff/pseuds/introvertbookwormsstuff
Summary: In the small kingdom of Calisota, Donald is struggling to meet up the expectations of his uncle, the king. Prince Donald is not quite sure he has what it takes to rule a country or if he even wants to be a king. Magica, a sorceress with a dangerous secret, dives into a passionate yet complicated affair with the love of her live. Jealousy and selfishness soon take over her actions. Meanwhile a young healer, Minnie, realizes that her past has come to haunt her otherwise perfect live. She does everything in her will to keep her past hidden from her soon-to-be husband.
Relationships: Daisy Duck/Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse/Minnie Mouse, Scrooge McDuck/Magica de Spell
Comments: 43
Kudos: 32





	1. The Jester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit this I got this medieval theme idea from playing sims medieval. :)  
> No more comments on that.  
> The main characters will be introduced in the first three chapters.

Donald was good at what he did. He entertained people and made them laugh. He could play the most beautiful songs on any given instrument and make everyone feel happy and calm. Like a true jester, he could make a whole room full of people laugh their heads off by making a fool of himself. Everything would have been perfect if it weren’t for one small problem. Donald was not a jester at all. He was a prince.  
To the town’s people Donald was as good as a jester. To them he was not a prince, and they did not treat him as one. In the town Donald was accepted as one of the commoners, as one of the ‘good folks’. He was loved and trusted by all. It made Donald feel warm inside and that’s why he choose to spend most of his time in the town’s tavern singing songs, citing poems and performing ridiculous acts.  
Donald felt like he truly belonged with these people. But still he would have much rather belonged to where he was supposed to be. In the king’s castle, preparing for his future as a king. The problem was that Donald did not know if he wanted to be a king. It felt like a too huge responsibility for him. Of course, he wanted to prove to everyone he was worthy of the king’s title, but he always screwed something up. It was just his luck.  
“And bow”, Donald whispered to his three nephews. Donald and the three ducklings bowed one last bow ending their act. The tavern was filled with wild laughter and clapping. Some demanded for more entertainment, but it was already late. The ducklings were all yawning, ready to fall asleep. The ducks gathered their things and left the lively tavern. Outside they heard the faint noises of people, coming from inside. The outside air was refreshing and a little chilly. To Donald’s surprise it was even more late than he had anticipated. Or earlier than he had anticipated. The sky was starting to get lighter and the sun would rise in few hours.  
“Let’s go, boys” Donald said, “Maybe will have time to sleep few hours before we’ll have to get up again”  
“You mean before you’ll have to get up, uncle Donald”, Louie pointed out yawning, “I don’t think our presence is required at the ceremony”.  
“I guess you’re right”, Donald agreed and picked up the boy, who then fell asleep in his arms. Huey and Dewey followed Donald; they too looked like they were right about to fall asleep. Donald thought that from now on he would get his boys to bed well before midnight. It was not good for them to stay awake the whole night, even though they enjoyed performing in the tavern as much as Donald did.  
The ducks walked back to castle on the high hill, where there was a good view to the town in the north and to the docks and the sea in the east. West was mainly forest with wild animals and few lonely cottages. The nearest city was hardly visible in the horizon behind the forest.  
The guards at the gate let the prince and his nephews through. Walking up the stairs to the main entrance, they were met by the captain of the guards.   
“Donald! It’s about time you got back”, Mickey said, “The king’s been asking where you disappeared again”.  
“Did you tell him?” Donald asked worried. Mickey shook his head.  
“No. I said you were hunting in the forest with Goofy. Not sure if he believed though”  
“Probably not. But don’t worry about it. I’ll talk with him and you won’t have to lie for me anymore”, Donald assured his friend. However, Donald felt guilty. He had said the same thing many times before, but again and again Mickey had to lie. Donald knew that lying was not easy for Mickey Mouse. By his nature Mickey was kind and just. He believed in honesty and fairness and valued these virtues more than anything.   
In Donald’s opinion Mickey tended to be too naïve for his own good. For Mickey’s worldview was more black and white, than it should have been. Donald often worried this would someday get Mickey into trouble.  
“Well, goodnight… or morning”, Donald said to Mickey, “See you in the ceremony then, buddy”.


	2. The Witch

_Calming waves hit the shore one after another. The great storm was at its end. The sky was still grey with clouds, but light was beginning to shine through them. On the cold, wet sand laid a moveless girl. Cold waves kept washing over her feet._   
_The girl most likely would have frozen to death in her wet clothes and in the harsh wind, if it weren’t for the man, who just happened to be wandering around the beach._   
_There was a certain spot, far left from the docks, where the man liked to come and sort out his toughs. It was a secure place, where anyone rarely ventured. The waves sometimes washed ashore valuable items lost by their previous owner. It was a pleasure for this man to come here to look for lost treasures. But this time he was not prepared for what he would find._   
_The man ran to the little girl as soon as he spotted her and dragged her away from the waves that tried to pull her back to the endless ocean. He turned her around and moved her black hair away from her face. The girl was ten at most and her body seemed fragile, so small she was. However, she was still breathing faintly._   
_“Bless mi bagpipes, yer alive”, the man said relieved. The girl moved her tiny hand trying to grab onto something, but she did not open her eyes._   
_“Don’t worry lass, I’ll get ye safe”, he assured the unconscious girl. He removed his cape and wrapped it tightly around the girl to keep her warm and then picked her up in his arms._

  
Twenty-five years later, Magica laid in her warm bed, safely under the covers in her dark room. She had been woken up early in the morning by that same dream again. Well, not a dream, but a memory. Or maybe it was just a dream, Magica wasn’t sure. She knew for certain that she had been washed ashore when she was only child and had been saved from freezing to death.   
She wasn’t sure if her memories of being dragged away from the water and being held in his arms and hearing his soft voice was just her own imagination. She had been told she had been unconscious for many hours after she had been found.  
She used to see that same dream every now and then. Now the dream kept repeating almost every night. It was because she would after many years (twenty years to be precise) finally meet her savior again. Has it really been twenty years since I last saw him, she wondered and rose up to sit on her bed. It was indeed a long time since she had last seen the man who had saved her life and who since then had been crowned king.  
Magica got up and moved to the window, opening the shutters. The sun was only about to rise. She opened her chest which held her dresses and chose the finest black dress she owned. Then she marveled herself in front of her full body mirror, while wearing her dress. She could not deny that she had for long waited for this day. She wanted to make a good impression on him. After all, without him she wouldn’t be standing here right now. Instead she would be dead.  
The previous wizard, who had served the king and the kingdom loyally throughout many years had recently passed away. Magica did not mourn his passing, since they had not been very close. However, she was grateful for him for many reasons. And now it was Magica’s turn, as the previous wizard’s only apprentice, to take his place and serve the king. Today she would officially step into king’s service. She would go to the king’s castle to pay her respects to the king and to vow loyalty to him and his kingdom.  
After her ordinary morning routines Magica put on her black cape and just about to leave, when she thought of something. She ran back to her room and opened her jewelry box. She put on her finest silver earrings and a matching necklace.  
After all, she wanted to make good impression on everyone, especially on _him_.


	3. The Healer

Minnie stepped out of her tiny cottage into the bright morning light and gentle summer breeze. She held her an empty basket in her left hand and had several tiny bags and a small sickle hanging from her belt.  
Minnie closed the door and started walking along a small path leading further into the forest and to a hill. She walked in the cool shade of the forest, singing and smiling. She was happy. She was always happy and why wouldn’t she be? She had everything she needed. She had her own tiny house, friends, fiancé with whom she was planning to share her future with and as healer she got to fulfill her desire to help others.   
There were no problems in Minnie’s life.  
After few minutes Minnie was met by a beautiful woman, dressed in black, walking down the path.  
“Good morning Magica!” Minnie greeted happily.  
“Morning, Minnie”, Magica said in her usual, calm manner.  
“The ceremony is today, I hope everything goes well”, Minnie said, full of excitement, even though she would not get to be present in the ceremony herself.  
“So do I”, Magica said. It was not clear if she was nervous or excited. She hid her emotions well, as she always did. Minnie was used to this and even if Magica seemed distant and even cold at times, the two women were actually good friends. They lived both in the forest, some distance away from the town, so they were each other’s only neighbors. Magica let Minnie use her garden, in which she grew different herbs and plants, that could be used either for magic potions or medicine. Minnie visited the garden every other morning to gather up the herbs she needed.  
“You can take anything form the garden you want but don’t touch belladonna. I will need all of it”, Magica said, taking something from her pocket. She put something in Minnie’s hand.  
“Oh no! I can’t take these”, Minnie exclaimed, trying to give the gold coins back to Magica.  
“No, they are for you. You need them. It’s tax day after all”, Magica said in a sharp tone, “And the taxes are damn high”.  
“I can pay my own taxes”, Minnie insisted.  
“Yes, but you rarely have any money left after paying them”, Magica said firmly, “You could live a lot more comfortable life if you charged more from your patients”.  
“Many of my patients hardly have any money”, Minnie said, “Besides, I don’t long for luxuries. I’m happy as long as I have enough”.  
“And like that you lost me”, Magica sighed. She herself was very keen on luxuries, fine clothes and jewelry and therefore she could not understand Minnie.  
“It’s okay to be a little selfish, Minnie. It’s great that you think of others, but you can’t always put everyone else’s needs before yours”.  
“Your concern warms my heart, but I know what I’m doing”, Minnie said with confident voice. Magica shook her head, said goodbye and left Minnie. Minnie watched as her friend disappeared behind the trees.  
She felt awkward having to accept Magica’s donation, but it was true, that she was hardly scraping by. But still, to Minnie other’s wellbeing was more important than hers. Once her life had spun strictly around herself, and it had made her miserable. Minnie had sworn to herself that she would never again be selfish, and instead dedicated her life to helping others. And now she felt true joy.  
Sometimes she wished she could explain to everyone what made her so dedicated to helping others, but she did not wish to share her past with anyone. She rather pretended that the life she now knew was the only life she had ever had.


	4. Meeting in the library

To those who are not familiar with the ceremony, taking place in the king’s castle this morning, it might sound grander than it is. The ceremony is merely a tribute to the king. The new witch or wizard stepping into king’s service, will vow their loyalty to the king and offer a demonstration of their powers in front of the court. Then the king will either accept or deny their service.  
To put it shortly, Magica needed to put up a show for everyone and impress the king in order to become the kingdom’s royal witch. She had practiced some impressive spells to show of her powers for the court. Magica was not worried about proving her powers to anyone. She had a full trust in her own capabilities.   
Besides, having magical powers was a very rare gift and most of those who had that gift made sure to hide it carefully, because many thoughts of them as worshippers of demons. Magica was, most likely, the only trained sorceress, in the entire kingdom. So, if the king, for some reason, wouldn’t approve of Magica, he could settle for nothing. It was very unlikely to happen considering that having a trained witch at one’s side would have made any ruler even mightier than they already are.  
So, Magica had not reason to worry. Still she had butterflies in her stomach. It was because she had not seen him in such a long time. She was nervous, even if she didn’t show it. Underneath her cool appearance, her mind kept churning. She had gone through a million different scenarios how their first meeting after years apart could go.  
She kept pacing back and forth in the castle’s library, where she had been advised to wait by a servant, as she had come early. To calm her mind, she glanced through the books on the shelves and observed the huge paintings on the walls. The painting above the huge fireplace was of him. The king was a lot older than she remembered and had a stern, almost cruel, look in his eyes, that she didn’t remember.  
“My, my. You have changed, Scrooge”, she whispered to the painting. In her heart she hoped that despite the changes in his appearance, he was still the same man, she had hopelessly fallen in love with as a teenager.  
All of a sudden the doors to the library were opened and shut with a loud bang. Startled, Magica almost dropped her staff to the floor. Turning around, she could see someone had just entered the room. On the other side of the room, a duck, stood, facing the doors, still holding his hands against them. He had not noticed Magica in the room as he had stormed in.  
The duck seemed to be shaking. Then, letting out frustrated cry he threw his golden crown to floor. Blinded by his anger he then attacked the closed chair and threw it against the wall, his whole face glowing red.  
“Donald!” Magica exclaimed after recognizing the other. Finally noticing he was not alone after all Donald froze for a moment. Staring at Magica cautiously, he slowly relaxed and let out a sigh.  
“Magica”, he greeted with a nod and laughed awkwardly, “Long time no see”.  
“Indeed”, Magica said, somewhat mused, “Having a bad morning?”  
“You could say so”, Donald admitted, picking up his crown and putting it back on his head. He walked over to Magica, almost tripping on his too long silk cape several times and hugged her.  
Donald and Magica had last sawn each other before Magica had been sent to serve as the late wizard’s apprentice. You could not call them best friends, but they did get along. Instead Donald’s sister Della had had a hard time liking Magica and the feeling had been mutual for who knows what reason.  
Sitting down at the library table the two observed one another. Magica couldn’t help but notice that Donald look impressively lot like Scrooge. He only needed to grow whiskers, she told Donald. The prince laughed at that.  
“You look so different I almost didn’t recognize you”, Donald said.  
“I hope the change is for the better”, Magica said.  
“Absolutely” Donald assured, remembering the skinny, awkward teenager, she had used to be.  
“So anyway, what has made so furious this morning? If I may ask” Magica asked, curious, leaning closer to him. Immediately Donald’s posture dropped, and he glanced nervously at the painting of his uncle at the wall. He felt, uncomfortable, as if the real king had been in their presence. Magica noticed the sudden change in Donald, and thought that he looked pathetic.  
“I would rather not talk about it”, he finally said, “Let’s just say that the king and I don’t exactly see an eye to eye about… eh… certain matters”.  
“Oh?”, Magica said simply.  
Donald was not sure Magica was one of those people he wanted to share his worries with. They got along, but as Donald remembered, Magica, despite knowing how to act polite and sweet, rarely made actual connection with other people. It was rare for her to genuinely like others. Scrooge had been one of those people she truly loved. Even though Scrooge had taken care of her like a father for some years, before becoming a king, Magica’s affection for him had even back then been a lot deeper. It had not gone unnoticed by Donald.  
Not to mention, knowing Magica’s affection towards his uncle, Donald was afraid she might have biased opinions of his troubles.  
Once more Donald glanced at the painting, with sorrow in his eyes. With a quiet voice he said to Magica.  
“I know you came here to see him, but you know… he has changed. He is not the same man he used to be. The years have been hard on him, so don’t expect too much”  
Magica looked at Donald, confused. She was about to asked what he meant by that, when the door was opened, and a servant girl stepped in and told Magica she would now take her to the throne room.  
Donald stood up.  
“I still have to take care of few things before the ceremony starts, but I’ll see you there. Good luck, Magica!” With that Donald left the library. Rising from her seat, Magica gave a final glance at the painting. The stern look on in his eyes gave her cold shivers and oddly, she felt a little scared. _He is not the same man he used to be_ , Donald’s words rang in her head. She had a bad feeling, but in her heart, she wished that feeling was wrong.


	5. The ceremony

The day light danced beautifully through the high windows, giving the throne room almost a divine atmosphere.  
The doors to the room were opened and Magica entered. She followed the soft carpet and stopped before the king’s throne that stood high above everything else. The king sat high and mighty on his throne, looking down on her. The witch could not help but, notice how tired he looked. And old. Lot older than in the painting in the library.  
She raised her beak proudly and gracefully curtsied.  
Donald was standing on his right side, somehow awkward looking. _Apparently, sitting is a luxury only meant for the king_ , Magica though. _And for the queen_ , she added to herself. The queen’s throne was on the king’s left and no one had sat there since the death of the queen.  
“Your majesty”, she greeted him. The king gave her a nod.  
“I, Magica de Spell, the apprentice your late royal wizard, your humble servant, stand here before you this very day, to vow to you my loyalty and willingness to serve your majesty and this kingdom till the day I die”, she said. It was a simple phrase she had practiced for this very occasion.  
Scrooge nodded and gestured her to continue: “Ye may began”. Hearing that familiar accent made the witch shiver with pleasure. It brought back memories.  
Respectfully bowing, Magica backed so that she was standing in the middle of the room. People moved further away from her, giving her the space, she needed. Quickly, she glanced at her audience. She saw the faces of the curious and exited noble men and women. The whole court seemed to be present. Even the servant and guards standing by the walls tried to get a better look from behind the crowd.  
Raising her staff in the air, she mumbled her magic word and a beautiful figure of green light appeared before her. The slender shape of the figure revealed it to be a deer. The deer galloped gracefully around the room. Magica heard delighted sighs as the light creature moved around. Then there was another deer and a small pond, then high trees and birds. Soon she had created a whole forest around them.  
If not for the light green glow of the illusions she had created, one might have almost believed to be in a real forest and not in the king’s throne room.  
Magica took a moment to enjoy of the delighted and astonished laughter of the nobles around her. Then with one move of her staff the whole illusion faded away and the whole room returned to normal. The crowd applauded her, excited. Even the prince clapped, amazement shining in his eyes.  
Only the king stayed still. His eyes were immensely focused on her, but his facial expression never changed. He didn’t smile nor frown and she wasn’t sure what to think of it.  
She decided to move on to the next spell she had chosen. It was a transformation spell. In the blink of an eye, she transformed into a beautiful raven and flew around the room. Her audience was even more astonished. The court had been blown away even though she had hardly even began yet.  
She kept her show going for a good while, making the court exhausted after cheering so much. Only the king remained silent and still. Magica had no clue what he was thinking, and she hated to admit, but she was starting to feel nervous. Wasn’t Scrooge pleased? Had she done something wrong or perhaps she just wasn’t good enough.  
Magica made her final bow, ending her act. The court applauded for her. After the noise had quieted down the king spoke to her.  
“Impressive indeed. I assume crafting potions is no problem for ye”  
“Your majesty, I assure you, I am just as skillful as my master was. Perhaps even better”, Magica answered him.  
“At least ye don’t lack of confidence”, he said, making the crowd laugh. The king stood up and continued:  
“Serve yer king dutifully and ye shall be rewarded for it”, he announced, “Now we shall feast!”

“I didn’t know there was going to be a feast, your majesty”, Magica said.  
She had been invited in the king’s table at the end of the great hall. In the king’s table sat mainly high noble men and king’s most trusted advisors.  
“…. if it were up to me there would be no feasts. Unnecessary waste of food and wine if ye ask me”, the king said, frowning, “Unfortunately, the nobles are bunch of spoiled children, who need to be entertained every now and then, otherwise they will start whining. As if taking care of an entire kingdom isn’t enough, I have to arrange feasts and tourneys so they might keep their mouths shut and let me do my work”  
The king drank from his goblet.  
Magica was slightly taken back by this. Of course, she remembered Scrooge as a person who wasn’t afraid of speaking his mind freely, but he had definitely been… livelier. This Scrooge beside her, observed the nobility around the room, almost despising them. He even gave an annoyed glance at the prince, who responded by looking in another direction.  
“I hope your highness does not forget the tourneys bring here many competitors and viewers. It’s always a nice boost for the economy of our country” said a man, who Magica had understood to be some royal advisor of the king. The man was grey haired and had a regal air about him.  
“Aye, Duckworth, The only good thing about tourneys. Otherwise, they are an excuse for people to forget their work and be lazy”, Scrooge said.  
“How can you say that?” Donald interrupted suddenly, his face turning red, “There are poor people, who are barely scraping by. They work their asses of just to stay alive. Once a year they get a chance to drop their work and enjoy the tourneys. They are not lazy; they are just human”.  
An awkward silence filled the table. Magica wasn’t sure if she should say something. The others at the table had merely turned attention to their own plates and ignored the princes outburst.  
As if the atmosphere wasn’t troublesome enough, Donald continued.  
“And you know what? It doesn’t help them that you force them to pay unreasonably high taxes!”  
“Do ye think I collect taxes for my own pleasure? That money is used to promote the safety of this kingdom!”  
“There are people starving, and you’re not helping them!”  
“I can’t help everyone! I’ve heard enough of you. Now LEAVE!” Scrooge shouted, slamming his wrists to the table.  
The whole great hall had gone quiet all of a sudden. Donald stood up, raised his beak proudly, or stubbornly if you will. He left the great hall and slammed the doors as he went.  
Magica could hear Scrooge growl in frustration, probably the everyone heard. Soon the noise returned to the room almost as if nothing had happened. Magica was utterly confused. When she had left her house this morning, she had not expected this to happen.  
Soon after, the king stood as well, muttering something under his breath. He turned to his new sorceress.  
“I need ye here first thing tomorrow morning”, he said and took off.  
Magica stared at him as he left. She turned to the rest of her table companions.  
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to that”, someone said to her.


	6. Familiar stranger

Minnie hummed her happy tune while following the path that would eventually lead her to the town, called Duckburg.  
Throughout the years the small village had grown into a beautiful port town with thick population. As Duckburg was the only town with an easy access to the gulf and the sea, it had become one of the most important towns in the country, even though it was not the largest town.  
The open gates allowed Minnie to enter freely to the port town. Few armed guards stood on the northern gates of the town, Minnie glanced at them, but saw no one she recognized. Not that she knew many of them.  
The town square was busier than usual. Tax days were always the busiest day. And the saddest, unfortunately. There was always some poor and unfortunate fellows who couldn’t pay their taxes. When that happened, their houses or crops or whatever they owned, would be sequestrated by the Crown. If one had nothing that could be sequestrated, it meant either serfdom, jail or the stocks.  
Many times Minnie had almost lost her house to the Crown, so she felt the struggles of the poor very close to her heart. However, today, thanks to Magica, Minnie didn’t need to worry, at least not for her own sake.  
She stepped into the line that had formed in the middle of the square.  
The air was filled with chatter, shouting and cursing around Minnie. On the one side of the square, rose the church. Minnie shivered at the sight of the church. She found the idea of all mighty God, scary. What might he think of Minnie and her way of living? On the opposite side of the square was the town hall, where public issues were discussed. In the middle of was the old well, that supposedly was haunted.  
As the line moved slowly, Minnie reached the table, behind which sat a uniformed guard keeping count of paid taxes, two other guard were standing right behind him, guarding the chest, were the tax money was collected.  
“Ah-yack!” the tall dog behind the table laughed. “Hi, Minnie!”  
“Hi, Goofy. What a nice surprise! I hope you’re doing well”, Minnie said, smiling. Goofy was her good friend, since he was also Mickey’s best friend and right-hand man, when on duty. His real name of course was not Goofy. It was George G. Goof , but to friends he was Goofy, because… well, he was goofy.  
“I’m fine. As a matter of fact, just yesterday-“  
“Goof”, one of the guards interrupted, giving him a stern look. Goofy turned back to Minnie, apologetic look on his face.  
“Sorry, Minnie, but there’s no time to chat right now. Taxes need to be collected today, and there’s still lot of people who haven’t paid”, he said.  
“That’s alright, Goofy. I know you’re just doing your job. Here you go”, she said handing him six gold coins. She could see the surprise on Goofy’s face, for even he knew that Minnie was often struggling with money problems and now she had handed him gold coins, like it was nothing. Minnie felt embarrassed.  
“A friend helped me out”, she explained. Goofy counted the coins and dropped them in the chest. Then he looked for Minnie’s name in the open book, that laid on the table before him. He stroke through her name.  
Saying goodbye, Minnie moved aside from the line. She watched the next woman, pay her taxes, with silver and copper coins. The distress was visible on her face as she handed the money to Goofy. Minnie recognized the woman as a merchant’s wife, whose husband had some time ago fallen ill. He had not been able to work and so their financial situation was though.  
Minnie turned away. There was nothing she could do to help her. And even if she could, there would be so many more, who needed help too.  
Minnie walked through the narrow, dirty streets, arriving to the wider street, near the docks were merchants sold their imported luxuries, like spices and silks. The noise was almost overwhelming, but the smell of the see was fresh and calming. Although she never bought anything, Minnie loved to walk around and observe the hustle and bustle around her.  
She stopped to admire colorful silks in a nearby stand as something familiar caught her attention. She saw a pair of two huge ears peek from behind the mass of people. _Mickey!_ Minnie started pushing her way through closer to the captain of guards, excited.  
“Oh, Mickey!” she called as she lost the sight of his ears. He was moving away from her.  
“Excuse me. Coming through”, she made her way through the crowd, slowly, finally reaching him. Few more people were in her way. _Finally_ , she though, about to tap on his shoulder.  
“Mickey, didn’t you hear me calling-“, Minnie slipped back into to the crowd fast as a thief.   
The mas she had thought for Mickey, turned his head in the direction where she had just stood.  
“Something the matter?” asked his long bearded companion.  
“I thought I heard… never mind. You were saying?”  
They made their way along the wide street, away from Minnie and the chaos of the market.   
Minnie heard only the beating of her heart; all the other sounds had disappeared from around her. The world around her was suddenly somehow dizzy. She waited for what seemed like an eternity, before she dared to stepped out of her hiding place, behind a nearby stand. She looked around her and saw no sign of the man.  
Someone pushed Minnie, almost making her fall to the ground. People kept pushing her out of their way, making angry remarks, but she did not hear them. She hardly even noticed being pushed. She dropped her basket and ran. She ran as fast as she could, through the streets, through the crowds to.  
She ran all the way back to her house, hidden in the woods around it. She locked her door, hurried into her small bedroom, into her bed and covered herself protectively in her blankets, like a child would. There she stayed, quiet, shivering, hearing only her racing heart and fastened breathing.   
“This can’t be happening… he found me… this can’t… how did he…”  
Finally she felt like, when she was running out of oxygen, she dared to uncover her head. With her red, teary eyes, she looked around to see that she was alone. She joined her hands together and prayed.  
“Please, make him go away… please, I beg of you…”, between her prayers, Minnie kept glancing behind her back and towards the bedroom door, as the man she was so afraid of might magically appear in the room.  
“I’ve changed my ways… don’t punish me like this”, she kept repeating.  
She exhaled deeply a couple of times and sat, straightening her back.  
“Calm down, Minnie”, she told herself, “You saw him only briefly, you could be mistaken”  
_Except, I’m not. I’d recognize him anywhere._  
“That’s right. I have nothing to be afraid of”  
 _I’m terrified._  
“And even if it was Mortimer, what’s the worst thing that he could do?”  
_I’d be done for._  
Minnie go up, she needed something to do calm her nerves.  
For the rest of the day she did not leave her house.


	7. Apologies

It was late in the evening and darkness had fallen over the castle. The hallways were quiet and somehow spooky. Servants sneaking through the rooms and hallways dared only to whisper.  
Donald stood outside his uncle’s chambers, facing the door. This morning couldn’t have gone worse.

  
_“I trust yer show went well. Last night, in the town’s tavern I mean”, Scrooge said.  
Donald nearly choked on his breakfast.  
“Excuse me?” Donald said, coughing, not sure if he had heard correctly. Locking his stern look on Donald, Scrooge continued: “What on earth do you think yer doing, lad?”  
Donald gulped, the king was angry.  
“How did you know-“  
“Unimportant”, he said, “Ye should know these things always come to my awareness, sooner or later”  
Donald was speechless. Of course, he had anticipated that at some point his uncle would find out about his secret trips to the town. He had hoped it would have happened later. Much, much later.  
“And ye even got the captain of my guards lie to me! Ye ought to show more respect for yer king, but instead ye choose to offend me”, Scrooge said, accusingly.  
“Okay, I’m sorry I made Mickey lie to you, but I don’t exactly see how I have offended you this time”, Donald said, annoyed, trying to defend himself. Scrooge was making a bigger deal out of this the was needed to.  
“”How” ye ask me! By making a fool out of yerself. Ye are the heir to the throne! Yer a prince, but you fail to act like one. Ye go to the town and voluntarily make a fool of yerself in front of the peasants. They’ll lose their respect for ye and then how ye are going to rule? By embarrassing yerself you embarrass me!”  
“Many of those people living in the town keep me as their friend. I think that’s the highest form of respect. But, you, they hate you!” Scrooge looked at him, with despise in his eyes.  
“Listen carefully, Donald”, he said in a low voice, “From this moment on yer not allowed to leave the castle without my permission. You’ll stay here and continue yer studies. Is that clear?”  
Donald knew to expect this, but still it made him see red. Living with Scrooge, without losing one’s mind was almost impossible. Donald had found a way of easing his stress by sneaking out of the castle dressed as a commoner. Pretending to be one of the ordinary folk and just enjoying life was his greatest guilty pleasure.  
“That’s not fair!” he said, feeling his muscles tense.  
“Yer my heir and you have duties, remember that, Donald”, Scrooge said.  
“I did not ask to be your heir!” Donald shouted, feeling like his head was about to explode, “You were the one who just had to marry the woman, who you knew couldn’t bear any children! If you cared about duty as much as you claim, you would have chosen someone else!”_

After that the things had escalated further. Donald regretted that last sentence, but it was what he often thought about. If Scrooge had had even one child, the role of the heir wouldn’t have fallen on Donald.  
Humble, ready to face Scrooge, he knocked on the door and entered, closing the door quietly. He honestly, didn’t believe himself to be the only one guilty of their constant fighting, but someone had to make an initiative and try to make peace. It would not be Scrooge, that much Donald knew.  
“Unca Scrooge?” Donald called. He walked closer to the fireplace to feel the heat on his feathers.  
“What do ye want?” Scrooge asked, opening his bedroom door. He was still dressed in his day clothes, but he looked tired and held some scroll in his hand.  
“I came to apologize my behavior this morning and during the feast”, Donald said, feeling like a child who had misbehaved.  
Scrooge just stared at him, frowning his brows.  
“So”, Donald continued, feeling uncomfortable, “I’m sorry”  
“Ye should be. Now leave, I still have work to do”  
Donald felt his face burning. Out of his good will he had come to offer peace and had made an honest apology, but Scrooge didn’t seem to care. Counting backwards from ten to one in his mind, Donald decided to try again, trying different approach.  
“Mother wouldn’t want us fighting like this”  
Donald knew Scrooge had cared immensely about his sisters. They had been very close as children and if not for Donald’s sake, maybe for his mother’s sake Scrooge would agree to make peace.  
“I don’t want to fight. I want us to be like we used to”, Donald told him, “Remember when you took me sailing with you on my ninth birthday? Or when you taught me to ride a horse?” Donald felt his eyes teary as the memories came back to him. All the precious moments they had spent together. They had used to have so much fun together. He couldn’t help but laugh.  
“Or the time Della insisted that she wanted to learn fencing and mother was horrified but, you said-“  
Confused Donald noticed, that Scrooge had suddenly gone tense. He stared at Donald with a strange look on his pale face. Donald wasn’t sure what he saw in Scrooge’s eyes. Fear? Sadness?  
“Is everything okay, unca Scrooge?” he asked, worried.  
“I don’t want to hear another world from ye”, Scrooge said, not angry, but seemingly anxious.  
“I-“  
“Don’t…”, without making any eye contact to Donald, Scrooge retired quickly back to his bedchamber, closing the door behind him.  
Donald left, knowing that pushing further wouldn’t help anything. He left the king’s chambers and headed towards east wing of the castle, where his chambers were.  
At moments like these he felt he had seen behind Scrooge’s cold, mean mask, that he used to hide his feelings, but still Donald wasn’t sure how to reach him. He had tried so many times, and sometimes he felt like he was ready to give up. But not just quite yet. _For mother’s sake_ , Donald thought, _I’ll keep trying_.


	8. Fencing lesson

“Take that! And that!”  
“Yield, you evil king!”  
“Or prepare to die!” Huey stroke his wooden sword quickly but, lightly at Goofy’s left leg.  
“Oh no!” Goofy cried out in a theatrical manner “I’ve been defeated!” He grabbed one of the ducklings swords, put it between his arm and rib as if the sword had impaled him, and fell to the ground, pretending to die.  
“The kingdom is ours!” the triplets cheered wildly.  
“Not quite yet”, Goofy said, still lying at their feet.  
“What do you mean?” Louie asked the guard, confused. Goofy smiled: “Ah-yack! You see, the evil king has a huge dragon that guards his castle”. Goofy rose, spreading out his arms as wings and roaring like a dragon. He grabbed Dewey into his arms and ran around the courtyard.  
“The dragon has our brother! After him!”  
Goofy ran around with the giggling boy in his arms as Huey and Louie chased him. Mickey could hear their laughter long before reaching the training ground. He laughed as he entered the courtyard. The scene was heartwarming, but now it was time to train for real.  
“Okay. That’s enough. You can continue your games later”, he told them. The triplets pleaded Mickey let them play little while longer, but Mickey gesture them to pick up their practice swords again.  
“Gawrsh! I think Mickey’s right, kids”, Goofy said.  
Mickey used a wooden sword himself, when training the boys. He was hoping that soon the boys would be strong enough to hold real swords.  
“Huey, you go first. Show me what you got”, Mickey said. The oldest sibling stepped in front of Mickey and took his position. Mickey tested them one at a time, observing what were their strengths and weaknesses. The lesson continued as the morning sun rose further up and the chilly morning air warmed.  
After few hours, Mickey decided, it was almost about a time to finish the lesson. The boys were getting seemingly restless. They’re patience was running out.  
Louie stepped in front of Mickey, grinning and raising his sword.  
“I’m a fearless adventurer and you are a thief that stole my horse”, he announced. Mickey smiled. He attacked the boy playfully”  
“You shall never have your horse back! It’s mine now”, Mickey could hardly hold back his laughter no matter how hard he tried to put his soul into his role. Dewey joined his brother and Huey decided to be a bandit beside Mickey. Goofy galloped around them imitating a horse.  
Donald entered the courtyard, laughing at the sight. His boys begged him to join in as they saw him.  
“Would love to. But I need to speak with Mickey”, he said. Mickey joined Donald and they moved away so they could speak in private.  
“Is something the matter?” Mickey asked.  
“I just wanted to ask did you get into any trouble?”  
“Well… he was not happy”, Mickey admitted. He had felt very guilty about not being honest with the king, but he had wanted to help his best buddy.  
“I got a warning and a strict order not to let you leave the castle without his permission. But I’m not in trouble. At least I’m not in trouble as long as I follow his orders”, Mickey said. He switched his balance from one leg to another nervously.  
“That’s why, Donald, I have to ask you not leave the castle on your own anymore. If you try to leave, I’m gonna have to stop you”, Mickey said. He hated to do this to Donald, but he felt he had already failed his king and did not want to do it again.   
Donald patted his shoulder.  
“Don’t worry, pal”, Donald assured, “From now on you won’t have to lie for me”. Mickey nodded relieved: “Thank you”  
Donald wouldn’t make Mickey lie, he would just have to find a way to exit the castle without Scrooge or Mickey noticing. He already had an idea in his mind.  
They turned their attention towards the laughing triplets and Goofy.  
“You’re so lucky to have them”, Mickey said, smiling.  
“Yes, I am”  
“Someday Minnie and I will have kids and… I can imagine it already. I’ll teach them to walk, then ride and fence”  
“No doubt you’ll be a great father, but don’t forget to teach your kids to speak too”, Donald laughed, “My best wishes to Minnie. Now I have to go. I’m late from my lesson. Foreign languages. Not my strongest point”  
“I wish you luck”, Mickey said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprised to notice how much I like writing Goofy, he's so child friendly character.


	9. Ruling a kingdom

Calisota was a small kingdom by the Gulf of Seals. It was called the Gulf of Seals for the simple reason that it was once inhabited by seals. Now days they were long gone. No one knew why the seals had vanished.  
Through the gulf, Calisota had and easy access to the ocean and a quick route to the east seas and to the islands in the south, where merchants and adventurers travelled. They often brought back, from the foreign countries they visited, spices, fabrics, natural recourses and strange, wonderous stories of places and people never heard or seen before.  
In the inland, located larger kingdoms, that constantly battled over power, striving to force others under their will and join them to a one larger empire. If you had asked from Scrooge, he would have said the most power hungry and dangerous of the rulers was king Glomgold. He was a true tyrant, who without a care executed anyone who so much as dared to breath without his permission.  
Scrooge, with his years of life experience, anticipated that the big kingdoms would soon engage in war. The political tension had been charged for quite some years already. After that, the one who were to be victorious in the upcoming war would seek a quick access to the east seas. That meant the invasion of a foreign kingdom.  
Glomgold had before demanded Scrooge to bend to his will. That would have meant Calisota would have become externally ruled, no independent kingdom at the mercy of a monster. And if _that_ were to happen it would mean a bloody end to Scrooge and his heirs.  
Preparing for the worst Scrooge kept raising taxes in order to raise and army and keep it strong. He was very aware that this did not increase his popularity among the common folk who suffered from the high taxes most. However, he had concluded that being unprepared for a war would hurt his people more than raising taxes and being prepared. “Nothing is free”, he laughed, mostly to himself.  
“Magica, are ye listening?” Scrooge asked suddenly, frowning.  
“…What? I mean, of course I am”, she assured him. She _had_ been listening to him as he had he had gone through explaining the current political situation on the continent and what he thought about it. When he had mentioned the possibility of a war, she felt her muscles tense. She had never witnessed a war herself but had heard some unnecessarily detailed stories of cruelties of wars. Her mind had wandered back to those stories and she had lost her focus.  
“I hope ye now understand why I need the potion so much”, he said. Magica nodded her head and pushed away all the horror stories from her mind. He had asked her to craft a sleeping potion for him.  
They were sitting in comfortable armchairs across one another in his chambers. She felt the soft eastern carpet under her feet. Magica kept observing Scrooge’s face and thought that he really needed sleeping potion. All the worries and amount of duties made him look like some one who had recently rose up from the dead.  
“I guess I too would have trouble sleeping if I were you”, she said. In her mind, she realized how lucky she was, that she didn’t have to worry about the kingdom’s safety. It sounded like a damn stressful job.  
“No doubt about that”, he said, “How long does it take to craft that sort of potion?”  
“One day”, she said, “You’ll get it tomorrow”  
“Good”, he said and gave her a smile that was hardly visible.   
For a moment neither of them could think of anything to say. She felt awkward as she wasn’t sure what to say or if he even wanted to talk with her. As he didn’t say anything, she rose.  
“If that’s all your majesty wanted, then I should leave”  
“No! Stay”, he suddenly said and gesture her to sit back down.  
Magica sat and stared at him with confusion. He seemed a little nervous, she wasn’t sure.  
“I’m not expecting formalities, when we’re in private”, he said. “I meant to talk with ye yesterday, but eh… things happened. It was a though day and Donald… well ye saw what happened”  
Magica leaned back in her chair, staring at him, not saying a word. Scrooge thought for a moment and got an idea.  
“I have some time, so would you like to take a stroll with me around the garden. A lot has changed here after you left”, he said. Scrooge offered her his hand. She accepted it allowing him to help her up.  
“I really thought that you didn’t care about me anymore”, she finally said, with a slightly shaky voice. Scrooge held her hand and squeezed it lightly.  
“Of course I care”, Scrooge said, with frown on his face again, “but I want ye to understand that things will not be like they used to. Between us, I mean. My duties take a lot of my time and yer not a child anymore. I simply can’t afford to waste that much time on you anymore. Besides, yer working for me now and yer most important duty is to help me keep this kingdom in one piece. I don’t want to mix fun and duties. When I got the time, I’ll be happy to spend it with ye. Understood?”  
“Understood”, she said, reluctant. Scrooge smiled, pleased.  
“Good”, he said and led her to the garden.  
Walking beside him, her shoulder touching his, her hand in his, Magica could not help but feel annoyed. Once he had spend most of his time and attention on her. They had been almost inseparable. Then he had sent her away, gotten married and now this! She was no longer his priority number one. With jealous heart Magica wondered, whether the queen had been more or less important to him than his duties.


	10. Lady Minerva and her maid

_"You have such a pretty dress, m’lady”  
“Isn’t it, Clarabelle. daddy imported the fabric from the southern isles. It was expensive, you know. Not just anyone could afford a dress like this”  
Clarabelle tied the bow on her lady’s head, smiling, almost glowing like the sun. Minerva took notice of this.   
“You’re a lucky one”, Clarabelle said. Minerva observed herself through her dressing table’s mirror. She was beautiful in her sky-blue dress and her bow complimented her big round ears. She was the most beautiful young maiden in the land, at least she herself believed so.  
“Well, go on. Tell me what you’re smiling about”, lady Minerva told her maid, looking at her through the mirror “Do you have any gossip to share with me, perhaps?”  
Minerva was hoping to hear something to cheer her up. She had felt a little blue lately.  
Clarabelle sat down in a nearby chair, nodding excitedly. She had hard time staying still.  
“I’m sure m’lady has heard that lord Thorndyke is getting married”, she said.   
Feeling her muscles tense at the mention of the lord, Minerva bent closer to Clarabelle, holding her breath.  
“Everyone knows that! But no one knows who the bride is”, she said. It was a mystery that had troubled the high society’s some weeks now. Suddenly Minerva gasped.  
“Has he announced his bride? Have you heard some rumors? What is it? Tell me!” Minerva demanded, impatiently.  
Clarabelle looked down, blushing: “Well… I’m his bride!”  
Minerva felt like someone had just punched her.  
“What?” she, asked confused. There was no way she had heard her right.  
Clarabelle, showed her the necklace. In that necklace, was hanging a golden engagement ring, that shimmered in the light beautifully. Lady Minerva observed the ring carefully as Clarabelle laid it on her open palms. It looked like real gold and it had lord Thorndyke and Clarabelle Cow’s initials covered inside.  
“I… I can’t believe this!” she finally exclaimed.  
“Neither can I!” Clarabelle beamed happily.  
“But he is a high lord and you’re…you’re a… maid… commoner”, Minnie stammered. Clarabelle looked down modestly, blushing again.  
“I know”, she said, “That’s why he didn’t want to tell anyone quite yet. But he told me we would be wed next summer. When I marry him, I’ll be a noble lady such as yourself. Then I won’t be your maid no longer, I’m afraid. But, I’ll be your equal and then we can-“  
“Stop!”, Minerva interrupted her suddenly, “This is wrong! Wrong!”  
Wrong, m’lady?” Clarabelle asked. Minerva looked at her maid in the eyes and took a deep breath.  
Clarabelle darling”, she said, “High lords aren’t meant to marry common maids like you. That’s just not how it’s supposed to be. We are all born in a certain class. It’s in our blood. Marrying him will not make you a lady. Other nobles would never accept you. They would laugh at you”  
“Oh?” Clarabelle said.  
“Are you sure you have thought this through?” Minerva asked, gently holding Clarabelle’s hands.  
“I… Excuse me, m’lady”, Clarabelle said quietly and rose up from her seat. Without saying a word, she left her lady’s room, staring at her own feet. Minerva watched as she went.  
After Clarabelle was gone, Minerva turned to her dressing table and opened a small drawer, with shaking hands. She picked up a worn letter and opened it. The ink had started to fade, so many times she had fiddled the letter in her hands. A year ago, she had poured all her heart on the paper and confessed her love for lord Thorndyke. However, she had never felt brave enough to give the letter to him. It had felt saver to keep it and wait for the right moment to give it to him. She had never told anyone how she felt towards the dashing young lord and had been heartbroken after hearing he was to marry someone else before she had even come up with courage to tell him how she felt.  
“That damn cow!”_


	11. Chitchat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the break. I've been just lazy.

Sitting at the wooden table, Minnie sipped her hot chamomilla tea carefully. She observed as Magica rushed around the room chopping herbs, stirring the boiling hot liquid in the small pot by the hearth, rushing to the table to read from the open book further instructions, then running to the shelve filled with dozens of small boxes and bottles. She picked one, poured its contents, some sort of powder, into the boiling pot.  
“Calm down, Magica!” Minnie told her friend.  
“I promised I would give the potion to him tomorrow. It’s going to take all night to make it”, she said, smiling while she stirred the potion some more. A sweet scent floated in the air. Minnie sniffed it.  
“You wouldn’t be in such a hurry if it had been for someone else”, she said, teasingly. Magica stopped to look at Minnie. She observed the mouse for a moment. She had never told Minnie: “I’m in love with the king”, but Minnie was no stupid.  
“Perhaps”, she said, turning back to her potion and chanted some foreign sounding magic words.  
“Isn’t the king rather old?” Minnie asked.  
“I guess so”, Magica mumbled glancing a questioning look at her friend. Minnie tilted her head to the left.  
“I’m just curious, are you generally interested in older men or…”  
“Oh, I don’t know”, Magica sighed absentmindedly. Scrooge was the only person she had ever really been interested, at least in a romantic way. She had met handsome men, young and old, still only Scrooge had intrigued her emotionally. The witch decided to let her potion be and cool down. She joined Minnie by the table.  
“I can see something is bothering you, Minnie. Just say it, whatever it is”, Magica told her. Minnie shyly looked up from her cup and, fiddled the hem of her dress. In the candlelight Magica’s dark eyes resembled the black night sky. She had a mesmerizing gaze, which Minnie found a bit scary at the same time. She didn’t dare to even try lie to her, when Magica’s eyes were locked on her like that.  
Minnie took a long nervous breath, returning her gaze down to her hands and spoke quietly. _  
_“He is a king”, she said.  
“Yes, go on”  
“And your… well…you’re not royal or even noble…”, Minnie felt a bad taste in her mouth, saying these words. A bad memory tried to force its way to her consciousness. However, she felt like this was something she had to point out.  
“We are not in the same rank”, Magica said.  
“Yes”, Minnie said, “And… well, kings don’t marry-“  
“Women who are not at least nobility”, Magica finished.   
Magica, being born a witch, was in a very strange place in the hierarchy. She was in the king’s service and was highly respected among the royalty and nobility in the castle. But she was not royal or noble herself, for that was something only achieved by being born in the right family. However, calling her a commoner, would have been just insulting, considering her role in the castle. It was like she had her very own rank.   
Magica wasn’t bothered by this. She didn’t care what she was as long as she was able to live comfortably.  
“I don’t care about getting married, just as long as I can have him”, Magica informed her, so straightforwardly, it made Minnie blush.  
“So, if he won’t propose, you’re willing to be his eh… mistress”, Minnie asked shocked. To her only a woman, with no self-respect would settle for being some man’s mistress instead of wife.  
“Sure”, Magica said untroubled. Minnie was just about to say something, but then stopped. She didn’t dare to risk offending her friend. Magica eyed her curiously.  
“I know my stand on marriage isn’t the most usual-“  
“No, no!” Minnie interrupted, “That’s fine. If _you_ are happy, I’m happy”  
Minnie took Magica’s hand in her own and squeezed it gently. They smiled at each other.  
_If you’re happy, I’m happy. I hope Clarabelle is happy_ , Minnie thought.  
She glanced at the window. The sun had already fallen and the darkness had taken over.  
“I should be going. I’m spending whole tomorrow with Mickey. I’ll meet him early in the morning”, Minnie said, smiling.  
“Well, then. Good night, Minnie, Magica said. Minnie put on her worn cape, gave her friend a hug and slipped through the door into the darkness. In her mind, Minnie was thankful that she lived close by. She had always found the darkness and rustling branches a bit scary.  
Meanwhile Magica returned to her potion. It was looking good, but there was still work to be done. The spell wasn’t quite finished yet.  
_Mistress_ , Magica thought about what Minnie had said. It was not uncommon for kings to have a mistress or few. Did Scrooge have mistresses or was he still faithful to his dead wife? Magica wasn’t sure which idea she disliked more.


	12. Mickey and Minnie

“You’re so beautiful my love”, Mickey said making Minnie giggle.  
“And you’re so handsome, dear”, she said. They cuddled and giggled. Letting go of one another felt impossible.  
Mickey had shown up early in the morning, as he had promised. He had joined Minnie for breakfast. They ate porridge as did every other person, who couldn’t afford better. Sometimes Minnie felt she was sick of eating porridge, but somehow good company made her not mind so much.  
“I’ll get my cape and then we can go”, Minnie said. Mickey nodded, but neither of them let go. They kissed. Then they kissed again. They shared small, innocent kisses and longing gazes.  
Finally, after what would have seemed like a small eternity for someone who has never been in love, they separated, and Minnie put on her worn, brown cape. She would soon have to get a new one, she realized. _I need remember to put some money aside_ , Minnie though, _but where am I going to get that extra money?_  
Minnie felt a little embarrassed in her old, worn clothes, when moving with Mickey. Mickey wore little finer clothes. He had a red shirt with soft fabric, new leather boots, pants and a beautiful sword hanging from his belt. The sword was light as a feather and Mickey was very handy with it. The sword was a gift from Mickey’s late father.  
Mickeys father, Lord Walter Mouse, had been fairly wealthy man, but unfortunately as his youngest son, Mickey had lost everything there had been to inherit, to his older brothers, while his sisters had been married of. The only thing Mickey’s father left for him was the old sword. With no fortune and only sky as a limit, Mickey had decided to pursue his dream to become a soldier. Serving his country and king was more tempting than anything else.  
Thanks to his quick thinking and talented fencing, Mickey had soon caught the eye of the king himself. Scrooge had soon made Mickey captain of his guards. As the newest, and youngest captain ever before, Mickey oversaw safety of the castle, the king and the prince. For someone else it might have been too much responsibility, but Mickey quite enjoyed it, as it made him feel like he had found his place in the world.  
“Oh Mickey, let’s go to the beach to look at the waves and parting ships”, Minnie suggested as they walked through the woods down the hill. It had rained last night. The grass under their feet was wet and slippery.  
“I had a though we could go to see what Gyro Gearloose has been up to?” Mickey said. Blacksmith Gearloose was an excellent blacksmith, but people generally agreed that he was a bit crazy. When he was not working, he was hustling on bizarre inventions. Last time Mickey and Minnie had visited him, he had managed to build a walking, wooden doll he called little helper. According to Gyro, someday little helper would be able to do more than just walk.  
“You wouldn’t rather go to the beach?” Minnie asked, batting her eyes at him. Mickey could not resist that look.  
“If you insist”, he laughed. Minnie smiled, feeling the relieve in her chest. Ever since she had last been in the town she had felt awfully anxious. She wasn’t sure whether she had seen Mortimer or just someone who looked like him. But whatever the case was, Minnie had decided to stay away from the town for a while, unless it was absolutely necessary to go there. If Mortimer were in town, he would eventually return to his home in Mousetown, which was all they on the other side of the kingdom.  
Mickey and Minnie walked hand in hand, enjoying the peaceful morning. Suddenly they heard someone running towards them and breathing heavily. A small mouse boy, no older than ten or eleven, appeared from behind the trees and grabbed onto Minnie’s skirt. He was white and out of breath. He kept gesturing at Minnie and then to where he had come from.  
“Jeffery“, Minnie said, wrapping her arms around the pale boy, “What is it? Is something wrong?”  
“It’s dad…” Jeffery managed to say gasping for more air, “You have to… come with me”  
“Jeffery, you have to tell me what’s wrong with your dad”, Minnie said firmly. The boy, despite his panicked state, took a deep breath and said: “Dad was attack by bandits, he’s hurt, bleeding, mom sent me to get you”.  
Minnie and Minnie exchanged quick look.  
“I’m sorry Mickey, but this can’t wait”, Minnie said and turned back to run to her house, “I need my medicine kit. Jeffery, follow me”  
“Minnie I’m coming with you!” Mickey said, following them.  
They ran after Minnie first to her house, where she grabbed her medicine bag, then they ran all the way to the town. Minnie knew where Jeffery ‘s family lived as she had helped them before. They lived in a small block, where many poor people lived.  
“Jeffery!” Jeffery ‘s old mother Agnes exclaimed as her son burst in through the door with Minnie and Mickey right behind him.  
Agnes was an old woman, with back problems. The amount of worrying had made her face wrinkled. Milo, her husband and their only son Jeffery were the only family she had left.  
“Agnes, where’s Milo?” Minnie asked, bracing the woman quickly.  
“Here”, Agnes said, guiding Minnie to the bed where Milo laid. On the floor there was a bloody trace that led to the bed. Minnie looked at the man determined. There was already two other women, trying to nurse his bleeding wounds.  
Minnie threw aside her cape, rolled up her sleeves and rushed to help.  
“The wounds need to be cleaned first”, she said forgetting everything else.  
  


While the women helped poor Milo, Mickey talked with Agnes in the other of the two rooms. Jeffery hugged his mother, shaking slightly.  
“Don’t worry Jeffery, Minnie’s the best healer in all the world, she knows what she’s doing”, Mickey said, and padded the boys back.  
“We have our faith in Minnie”, Agnes said, “God bless that girl”  
“What happened to your husband?” Mickey asked in a serious tone, “He looked like he had been stabbed”  
With a quiet fearful voice, the old woman said: “Milo was on his way back home from Springvalley, his relatives live there. On his way he ran into bandits. The gods were merciful, he wasn’t far from the town wall, someone how knew him found him and brought him here. All his belongings were gone, but thank goodness he was still alive”, the woman shed tears and hugged her son tighter.  
Mickey frowned. There lived bandits, not far from the towns and cities. They often ambushed unsuspecting travelers.  
“He said it was the Beagle boys”, Agnes cried, “Right before he passed out”. Mickey blinked, surprised. _So, the Beagle boys are back_ , he though. He reminded himself to inform the king about this. The Beagle boys were a group of bandits that consisted of brothers and cousins. They were the most feared bandits around here. They were hard to catch since they never stayed in one place for too long. It had already been a while since they had caused trouble so near the castle.  
“Don’t worry Agnes, the Beagle boys will be caught”, Mickey told her.

After what seemed like forever, Milo’s wounds had been nursed. Minnie was the last person still with him. She watch his face, he was more peaceful than hour before, but still very pale. Milo’s face reminded Minnie of her own father. Only Milo’s face wasn’t as round and reddish as her father’s face.  
Minnie let out a deep sigh. Agnes came in and kissed her husband’s cheek. Then she thanked Minnie.  
“Now we can only wait and hope for him to be strong”, Minnie advised, “Make sure he eats and drinks enough”. Minnie also gave Agnes medicine that would help Milo’s pain.  
“Thank you Minnie, if only I had more to give you than my gratitude”, Agnes said.  
“Never mind that”, Minnie said.  
As they left Minnie could not help but worry about Agnes, Milo and Jeffery. Despite his young age, Jeffery would have to earn some money while his father was still weak.  
Then Minnie’s thoughts returned to her father. Sometimes she wished more than anything she could tell Mickey what she was thinking about. Unfortunately, then she would have to tell Mickey that she had lied about not knowing her family and being raised by and old healer woman. There was no-one who knew her real story, not even Magica.  
“They are going to have though times”, Mickey said.  
“If only they didn’t have to pay so high taxes”, Minnie said with surprising distaste in her voice.  
“You know those taxes are used for good like to pay for the soldiers that protect us”, Mickey said in a defensive manner.  
Minnie sighed, tired: “I know. I just don’t understand why life has to so hard for some”  
“Should we still go to the beach?” Mickey asked as they arrived to the main street and entered the mass of people.  
“Yes we should”, Minnie said and kissed Mickeys cheek.  
“They walked along the street in the midst of all the chaos and noise, silent. Minnie watched the bypassing faces of people. There were young and old faces, beautiful and ugly, brave and shy, familiar and strange… and Mortimer.  
Mortimer walked idly down the street, to the opposite direction Minnie and Mickey were going. As he passed them, his eyes met Minnie’s. They looked at eat other, without seeming to recognize one another. Then he blinked and confused looked appeared on his face. That confused face was what brought Minnie back to reality. She felt her whole body go cold.  
“Minerva? Minerva?” Mortimer called, still hesitant if he had seen right. He turned back, trying to force his way through the crowed to her.  
Minnie grabbed Mickey by arm and ran as fast as he could.  
“Minnie, why are you running?” Mickey asked, “Is something wrong?”  
“Just run, Mickey!” Minnie exclaimed. As they were small, it was easy to disappear to the crowd and lose Mortimer. Minnie and Mickey ran all the way to the docks. Minnie looked around but didn’t see Mortimer. They jumped down from the dock to the soft sand.  
“Minnie, what’s going on?” Mickey asked, holding her firmly in place so she could not run anywhere.  
“You’re so pale and shaking”, Mickey said. Minnie almost didn’t hear Mickey’s voice over her beating heart. She looked down.  
“Well…”  
“Well?”  
“There’s something I haven’t told you”, Minnie whispered.  
“You can tell me anything, Minnie. What scared you?” Mickey asked gently.  
“It’s just that… I fear… big crowds of people. They make me anxious”  
“Really?” Mickey asked, surprised, “For how long? I haven’t noticed that before”  
“I have always been afraid of big crowds. Lately it has just gotten worse. I didn’t tell you because it’s such a silly fear”, Minnie said looking down. It was easier to lie, when she didn’t have to look into Mickey’s eyes.  
“It’s not silly at all”, Mickey said, pulling Minnie into comforting embrace.  
“Your not mad at me for not telling?”  
“Of course not, my love”  
Minnie laid her head on Mickeys shoulder. _What on earth am I going to do?_


	13. Jealous witch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was one mistake in the last chapter I corrected. Mortimer calls Minnie just Minnie. But I fixed that, because he is only supposed to know her as Minerva. Not a big thing but now he calls her Minerva.

Absentmindedly Magica moved the queen on the board. She looked at the other player. His eyes were locked on the chess board and he frowned as she made her move.  
“Yer not focusing, lass”, Scrooge scolded her and moved his bishop. Magica’s queen was out of the game. She had practically already lost the game. She knew that but didn’t care. She hadn’t even tried. Her thoughts were elsewhere. Elsewhere meaning him.   
“Then it would seem like you have won. Again. We should go walk around the gardens”, she suggested, excited. There she would get to hold his hand as they walked.  
It had passed almost week since Magica had handed Scrooge the potion he had asked for. Now he looked less like a living dead and more like a real person, she thought, pleased. Scrooge confirmed that he felt better, but he still had his share of complaints.   
He had complained that after mixing two drops of it into his drink and drinking it, he fell as asleep immediately. It was like he had fainted all of a suddenly. He had fallen into a deep sleep, which he did not wake up from until the sun had already risen high.  
“My royal advisor tried to wake me up during the night. He had an urgent message for me, but I did not wake up”, Scrooge said, clearly unhappy, “Yer potion is disturbing my work”  
“The whole point of the potion was to get you sleep at nights”, she had answered rolling her eyes. To that Scrooge mumbled something incomprehensible.  
“Gratitude might do some good for you”, Magica had laughed. She sort of enjoyed annoying him. He looked cute when frowning with annoyance (which he did a lot).  
“We have strolled around the garden several times already”, Scrooge said, leaning back in his chair, “Aren’t ye getting bored of it?”  
“No”, she said, smiling sweetly at him.  
Without a warning there was a loud bang on the door and they heard Duckworth calling the king.  
“Enter!”, Scrooge called, “Duckworth, what is it?”  
Duckworth the royal advisor stepped in.  
“The ambassador has arrived, your majesty. He is waiting for audience in the throne room”, he announced.  
“About a time for him to show up!”, Scrooge said, clearly not happy, “I expected to hear from him days ago!”  
Scrooge stood up and was about to leave as Magica grabbed his arm.  
“Can’t he wait, Scroog- eh, your majesty?” Magica asked, wishing he wouldn’t go.  
“I told ye already, these thing can’t wait”, he said freeing himself from her grip and hurrying to the throne room, Duckworth following after him.  
They left Magica by herself. She sighed, frustrated. She got to spend time with Scrooge, just like she had hoped for. She followed him often around the castle as he worked. It was her duty to be present in case she was needed. But they weren’t alone. Duckworth was almost always with the king. Scrooge was also followed by a group of other advisors, diplomats, messengers and other more or less important noble men and women. Donald often joined the group too as by stander. His mission was to observe his uncle as he worked and learn something.   
However every now and then Scrooge managed to find time for them to do something just by themselves. It was always the highlight of the day for Magica. Unfortunately, his work kept interrupting them. He often had to leave her to take care of some urgent errand, leaving their time together short. This kept repeating again and again.  
Sitting by the table, staring at the chess board, Magica felt herself grew angry. _He should have just told Duckworth to go to hell_ , she though, _surely the kingdom can wait for him for a moment, right? I waited for him for years!  
_She slammed the pieces from the board to the floor. How could she hold his attention? How could she distract that workaholic from his work. She had thought about it so much, but so far hadn’t come up with an answer. Finally, she decided to go to the throne room to follow the audience as she didn’t feel like sitting alone in the king’s chambers. It was very unlikely for Scrooge to return any time soon.  
As Magica walked down the hallways, she passed a group of young servant girls. They curtseyed politely as Magica passed them, but as soon as they thought she couldn’t hear them, Magica heard them whispering and laughing. It annoyed Magica as this was not the first time this had happened, and she had started to suspect the servants were laughing at her.  
Magica passed huge open doors that led to the memory hall. The huge room was called memory hall for the walls of the room were filled with paintings of rulers of Calisota and other members of the royal family. Magica did not prefer to go in there, because there was one painting, she did not want to see. However, she noticed Donald in there, acting strange.  
Donald wasn’t looking at the paintings, but he seemed to be observing their frames. He moved one painting by its frames, shook his head and moved to a next one. Curiosity took over Magica and she entered the room.  
“What on earth are you doing, Donald?” she asked, scaring the unsuspecting prince, who turned around startled. He sighed.  
“Oh, it’s only you”, he said, relieved.  
“Only me, indeed. What are you doing to the frames?” she asked again.  
“Oh, I’m just… observing the beautiful handiwork. I mean looked at them! It takes real talent to make frames this beautiful”, Donald explained, unconvincingly. It didn’t take a genius to see that Donald was up to something. Magica looked at the painting and its frames carefully but sow nothing interesting in them. She shrugged her shoulders. Perhaps Donald was a little loose in the head after all.  
“Say Donald, is there something on my face?”, Magica asked him. Donald blinked confused and stared at her face.  
“No. How come?”, he said. Magica thought for a moment, whether to say anything at all.  
“I think the servants are laughing at me behind my back. I just don’t understand why”, she then admitted, embarrassed.  
“Oh…”, Donald said, uneasily, avoiding her gaze, “I have… uh… no idea”  
“I think you do!” Magica snapped, “I’m not stupid, you know”  
“I really don’t-“  
“Tell me!”  
“Fine! I’ll tell you, but I don’t think you’ll like it”, Donald said, frowning, “They think you’re pathetic”  
“Pathetic?”, Magica echoed, confused, “Why?”  
“Why? Because you’re in love with my uncle”, Donald said, making Magica feel utterly embarrassed. Her face turned red.  
“Why would you say that?” she said, trying to keep herself calm.  
“It’s no secret, Magica. Anyone can see it right of your face. But everyone knows that after Goldie’s death he hasn’t engaged in any romantic relationships or eh… certain physical activities”, Donald explained.  
“And you know that how?”  
“People in this castle, servants and nobles, love to gossip. Everyone would know if he had. There have been women, many of them who have tried batting their eyes at him. He just pushes them away”, Donald said.  
Magica turned to look at a painting, bigger than others. It stood high on the wall and the woman in it shined like a golden sun, which all the other painting seemed to circle around. Queen Goldie had a shiny golden hair and eyes blue like the beautiful sky. She wore diamond jewelry. She had been quite known for her love of diamonds and gold.  
Magica concentrated all her hatred to the painting. _I’ll show them_ , she though, _I’ll make Scrooge love me! I’ll show the damn servants and Goldie. Scrooge is mine. MINE!  
_“Magica, you okay?” Donald asked.  
“…Oh yes. I’m fine. Who are those three? I’ve seen them around the castle”, Magica said, changing the subject. She pointed to another painting with three identical ducklings.   
As Donald got excited and started telling her about his three nephews, Magica noticed her mind wondering elsewhere. She was too bothered by the dead queen in the painting and the damn servants who dared to laugh at her. She was determined to show them wrong. She would have Scrooge falling for her in no time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter Magica is starting to show her jealous side and jealousy leads to drama :):):)


	14. Cousin Gladstone

“I don’t believe you, unca Donald”, Huey said.  
“No, I’m serious boys, it’s true. Unca Scrooge and I really caught this weird purple, spiky fish while sailing around the Eastern sea when I was your age. And it almost bit my finger off. See? I even have a scar”  
“No, I didn’t mean that, unca Donald”, Huey said, “I don’t believe Scrooge has ever been nice to you”  
“Or to anyone else. Ever”, Dewey added.  
“He’s never nice to us. He’s always angry, even though we have never done anything to him”, Louie said. Donald sighed.  
He was sitting on his bed with his nephews.  
“You know he used to be nicer”, Donald said, but to his disappointment the boys just shook their heads.  
“We don’t believe you”, they said. Donald sighed, frustrated. Where had his boys learned their stubborn ways from? He had no idea.  
Donald got up from his bed and paced around his room. His ducklings followed him with their gazes.  
Donald tried his best to convince his boys that there was a more pleasant side to Scrooge by telling them of the adventures they had had when Donald and Della had been small, of all the fun thing they had done together, but the triplets would not listen to him. And who could blame them? They were so young they had never met Scrooge before he became grumpy and cynical towards his family. Scrooge hardly even talked to the kids and when he did, he would say something like “Get out of my way. I’ve work to do” or “Stop wasting yer time with yer childish games and go do something useful”.   
“Unca Donald?” the boys asked.  
“Yes?”  
“When is Scrooge going to let us visit the town again? We are getting bored in here”, they complained.   
Along with Donald, Dewey, Huey and Louie were forbidden to leave the castle. The tricky triplets had tried sneaking past the guards at the gate, but hadn’t been able to go unnoticed.  
“Soon, boys, soon. Don’t worry about it”, Donald reassured them.  
Without a warning the doors were opened and a proudly standing figure, dressed all in green walked in. After him followed a small servant boy.  
“Cousin, I heard uncle Scrooge grounded you like a little kid!” laughed the earl Gladstone Gander, Donald’s (least) favorite cousin, who had been blessed with unbelievably good luck (and unbelievably obnoxious personality according to Donald).  
Gladstone spend most of his time traveling and enjoying his life, without responsibilities. He made quick visit to the castle every now and then. Sometimes Donald wished he could have changed places with his cousin.  
“Bet you have been miserable here without me”, the earl said, gesturing the servant boy to leave.  
“How… good to see you, cousin”, Donald said.  
“Don’t look so sour, Don. I even brought souvenirs for all of you”, he said, taking four small pendants from his pocket.  
The boys were very curious of their gifts. Gladstone had brought all of them silver pendants, with foreign writing on edges and a hole in the middle.  
“They bring luck at least according to the people in the north. I thought you might have use for them since the goddess of luck doesn’t favor you like she does me”, Gladstone said, pushing his blond hair back, with an arrogant smile on his beak.  
“How thoughtful of you”, Donald said with a forced smile, throwing his pendant on his bed and crossing his arms, “So, tell me cousin, how long do I get to _enjoy_ your company before you have to leave again?”  
Gladstone sat lazily on a nearby armchair and set his feet comfortably on a footstool.  
“I think this time I’ll stay a little longer”, he said. _Wonderful_ , Donald though.  
“I made a little trip to the north were I brought those pendants form, but I spend most of my time on the Eastern isles. I met lady Daisy there and when it turned out she was coming here I figured I should be here to greet her when she arrives”  
“Who’s lady Daisy?” Donald asked.  
“ _Who’s_ Daisy?” Gladstone laughed, until he saw Donald’s angry expression, “What? You really don’t know? Lady Daisy. The daughter of the duke Dempster from the Eastern isles”  
“I’ve never heard of her. Why is she coming here?” Donald asked, feeling like fool, knowing his cousin knew something he didn’t.  
Gladstone chuckled, amused.  
“Because, the king invited her here”, he said.  
“What for?”  
Gladstone rolled his eyes: “So that Scrooge could meet her and see if she has it what it takes to be a queen when your brainlessness is crowned king”  
In other words, Scrooge was shopping for a daughter-in-law (only technically since Donald was his heir not his son). Of course, Donald knew about Scrooge’s ongoing hunt for his future wife, since it was rare for a royal to choose their spouses by themselves. Usually they had to settle for arrange marriages that were often completely political.  
However, Donald would have appreciated if someone had at least bothered to tell him about lady Daisy’s arrival.  
“Uncle Scrooge has told me nothing, how do you know she’s coming?”  
“I just said I met her. She told me her father had been exchanging letter with the king and that she was to come here”  
Gladstone continued: “She’s pretty, but really picky when it comes to choosing a husband. That’s why she’s still unmarried. So when she rejects you, I’ll be there to make sure she won’t be all alone”  
“So, that’s why you’re staying here”, Donald said, “Excuse me, cousin”  
“Where are you going, Don?”  
“I have to find uncle Scrooge”, Donald said, running out door.  
Donald felt that he had to talk with uncle Scrooge. Since the matter was about his future wife, he thought he had every right to know what was going on and who exactly this lady Daisy was. It was already hard enough not to get to choose your spouse by yourself, but also having to marry a stranger.  
He rarely talked about it with anyone, but despite not getting to choose his bride, he was hoping to get married soon. He hoped to give his boys a feeling of wholesome, happy family and a loving mother figure they didn’t have. He also thought that with a trusty companion by his side it would be easier to bear his hard relationship with Scrooge.  
To Scrooge it was important that the future queen was smart, quick to learn and understood how ruling a kingdom worked. Donald hoped, that having married out of love himself, Scrooge would understand to choose someone who also possessed kind and loving heart. Although sometimes Donald had serious doubts whether that was going to happen.  
Donald found his uncle in the middle of the council’s meeting. The council, ten important people of the kingdom, gathered to discuss urgent matters of the kingdom. The meetings were kept in private, in the west wing of the castle, in a room with high stained-glass windows and high pillars standing by the walls. In the middle of the room was a round table, were the king and the rest of the council sat.  
Donald sneaked in through the door.  
“Uncle Scrooge, I need to talk with you”, he whispered to him, not wanting to disturb Duckworth who was speaking. Everyone were focused on him.  
“Not now, Donald”, he said quietly, gesturing Donald to go away. Mumbling curse words Donald raised his voice lightly: “We have to talk _now_. It’s about lady Daisy”  
The other members of the council, eyed them, wondering which one of them would explode first, but to their surprise Scrooge got up, reluctant, and left the room with Donald, while Duckworth continued his speech.  
In the hallway Scrooge asked: “What about Daisy?”  
“You never told me about her or that she is coming here”, Donald said, frustrated, “I would have appreciated if you had bothered to tell me”  
“I was going to tell ye… eventually”, Scrooge said.  
“Okay… fine. But just who is this lady Daisy? I have never heard of her. Besides, I thought you wanted the future queen to be a royal”, Donald said,  
“We have already gone through all the marriageable princesses. And they have all been disappointments”, Scrooge said.  
Most princesses were vain and mostly interested marrying the crown prince for the power it would give them.  
The last princess they had had in the castle had been almost perfect. Scrooge had been pleased to notice the girl was classy, clever and aware of the international affairs. She had even been kind and good with kids. Donald had been ready to settle for her if it made his uncle happy. Despite not loving her, Donald felt she was far better than most other princesses he had met.  
There had been just one major problem with her. Princess Brigitta fell deeply in love with Scrooge. Calling her love for him an obsession would have been underrating her affection towards him. She didn’t give Scrooge a moment of peace, until finally Scrooge kicked her out of the castle, claiming her to be the devil in disguise, who would bring down the kingdom.  
“Lady Daisy is the daughter of my old friend duke Dempster from the Eastern isles. I’ve never met her myself, but she’s from a good family and in his letters the duke said her to be fit for a queen. Obviously, I will be the final judge of that”  
Scrooge thought for a moment, then said: “I hope she’s smart. The future queen has to be…since the king will not be… right nephew?”  
“You know your words hurt, right uncle?”  
Without caring to answer, Scrooge returned to the council’s meeting. Donald was left alone in the hallway. Feeling his anger built up, he punched an armor standing at guard by the door. The armor fell apart making a loud noise that echoed in the hallway.  
Gladstone was rubbing his luck in Donald’s face.  
Uncle Scrooge made his life miserable.  
And lady Daisy…  
 _I doubt I’m even going to like her_ , Donald thought.


	15. Lady Minerva and her father

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter, woohoo! Finally! I'm back to school so I didn't have as much time to write. From now on it might take longer to add new chapters but I'll keep writing anyway.

_“Daddyyy!” lady Minerva rushed through the doors in her brand new purple gown, her eyes red from crying.  
“Yes, my dear child”, answered Lord Lyttelton, impatiently. He hated to be interrupted while he was working and lately his youngest daughter had been completely out of control.  
Lord Lyttelton ,short, fat mouse, with greyish hair and beard, sat behind his desk, eyeing his daughter.  
“Daddy, you have to do something!” Minerva cried, her face red.  
“About what? Isn’t you’re new dress pretty enough, my dear?” he asked with a hint of mockery in his voice.  
“NO! You have stop Lord Thorndyke from marrying Clarabelle!” Minnie cried. Her father was more worried about his hearing, than his daughter’s hopeless love for lord Thorndyke.  
“And just what are you expecting me to do, Minerva?”, Lyttelton asked, raising his voice. He had slowly come to realize that years of spoiling his daughters was the worst mistake he had done. They had all become more annoying than the other. Lucky for him he had already managed to marry the others off. They were now someone else’s problem.  
“Anything!” Minerva broke into tears, “It’s so humiliating. His marrying my maid and not me!”  
“She’s no longer your maid”, lord Lyttelton reminded his daughter, trying to return his attention on the scroll he was reading. Minerva ran around the desk and ripped the scroll from his hand.  
“You have to stop him, daddy”, Minerva pleaded, desperately.  
“Why should I? It is not my business who he marries. Forget your silly crush. You’re only but a child and marrying lord Thorndyke would be your greatest mistake. The man has shown himself to be a fool by choosing a common girl to be his bride. Clarabelle has no fortune or high status, she’s not worth his time”  
“Lord Thorndyke is not a fool” Minerva sobbed, “He’s just… not thinking clearly”  
Lyttelton padded her daughter on the head.  
“You won’t need to worry about you’re future, my dear. There are better men than Thorndyke. You’ll forget him eventually”, he said. In her misery, Minerva was too upset to hear her father’s words.  
“There, there my dear. No need to cry. I know what will cheer you up! I’ll have our tailor to make you a new dress”, he said in a gentler tone. Minerva thought about it, if lord Thorndyke saw her in a new gown, maybe it would bring him back to his senses as he realized just how beautiful she was.  
“Yes… I would… love that”, she sobbed, nodding her head. Her father took back the squeezed scroll from her hands.  
“Run along, my child. It’ll all work out. Trust me”, he said, guiding her out the door.  
After she was gone, he glanced at the scroll in his hands. His message for Mortimer Mouse, his old business partner, was almost done  
As a conclusion of drunken gambling one night, lord Lyttelton, had found himself in a terrible debt to Mortimer, which he was not able to pay without losing his high status and luxurious lifestyle.  
Lord Lyttelton had his suspicions that Mortimer had purposely drunk him and then provoked him to make the idiotic bet.  
Of course, it had turned out quickly that Mortimer was not after Lyttelton’s fortune after all. Mortimer announced that he would forgive Lyttelton’s debt if he promised Minerva’s hand in marriage to him. Mortimer had on many occasion before asked for her hand in marriage, but lord Lyttelton had always refused, since his intention was to marry her to another, ridiculously wealthy, lord.  
Now Lord Lyttelton sealed the scroll, the marriage contract between Mortimer and Minerva, that he singed for his daughter. The deal was now sealed.  
And his fortune was secured.  
_

Minnie sat on her knees on the muddy ground as she kept pulling the white flowers up from the ground along with their roots. Magica had advised her that the flower would ease cold when used as a medicine.  
Then wind blew chilly air on Minnie’s face. The fall was near. The leaves in the trees were slowly starting to turn yellow.  
Swiping sweat from her forehead, Minnie stuffed the flowers in her leather bag and stood up. Magica’s little garden wasn’t looking as lively as it had in the beginning of the summer. The plants would eventually decay.  
Heading back to her house, Minnie thank. She had been thinking for nonstop ever since she had seen Mortimer. Minnie had sent Jefferey to look for Mortimer in the town. Of course, she had made him promise not to tell anyone anything and had even payed the boy a decent price for his effort. Now Minnie had no money and the next tax day kept creeping closer. However, Minnie was much less worried about the tax day than Mortimer.  
Jeffrey had found out that a merchant man called Mortimer Mouse was franticly searching for Lady Minerva from the town. Minnie realized that as long as he kept looking for a noble lady called ‘Minerva’ no one would realize to point him to the house of the poor peasant healer Minnie. For the time being she was save.  
_Perhaps the problem will solve itself_ , Minnie though, _Mortimer won’t find Minerva and eventually he’ll leave._  
She decided to hold on to that though.


	16. Turn of events

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it has been a long time since I last posted and I'm sorry. I had such a stressful fall and after my stress eased I just didn't feel motivated to write. But now I do feel motivated. It helped to read through this fanfiction myself. It helped me to realize how fun it would be to continue.

Minnie used to feel so safe with Mickey, but now that feeling of safety was gone. She only felt tension, an awful weight on her chest. Breathing had suddenly became troublesome. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that she was save from Mortimer, she could not relax at all. Her limbs felt so weak She hide it all underneath a sweet smile and laughter. Every time Mickey would ask if everything was okay, she would shrug it off by saying she was just tired.  
They were walking on a small path in the forest, close by Minnie’s house. She rested her head on his shoulder and held his hand in hers. However, her thoughts were completely on other things, once again.  
“The yellow leaves look beautiful; don’t you think so, sweetheart?” Mickey pointed out.  
“Oh, yes”, Minnie said with a sweet smile, “Very beautiful”  
Without a warning Jeffrey rushed through a nearby bush. Wet, yellow leaves had stuck on his clothes. The boy's cheeks were red from running.  
“Minnie, Minnie!” he cried, cheerfully.  
Minnie, frightened by the boy’s sudden appearance, raised her hand to her chest. Her heart was pounding too hard.  
“Jeffrey!” Mickey greeted the boy, surprised, “How’s your father?”  
“Oh, he is feeling better. A lot better”, the boy said smiling. Then he looked at Minnie, and then at Mickey, uncertainly. Mickey noticed this and looked at Minnie with a questioning look.  
Minnie took a deep breath. There was no doubt about it. Jeffrey had come to tell her some new information about Mortimer.  
“Mickey, my love, could you wait here for a moment?” she asked him.  
“Of course”, Mickey said, confused. Minnie guided Jeffrey a little further away, where they could see Mickey, but where he could not hear them talking.  
“What is it, Jeffrey?” Minnie asked with a quiet voice, feeling her hands shaking, with nervousness. Jeffrey’s smile made her heart beat even faster. She didn’t dare to wish for good news.  
“That Mortimer man is going to be leaving in a few days”, he said to her. Minnie inhaled deeply, not sure if she had heard right.  
“Are you sure?” she asked, dead serious.  
“I’m sure”, the boy confirmed.  
Minnie let out a relived laughter and pulled the boy into a tight hug.  
“Oh, I can’t believe this. Jeffrey, you’re such a good boy. Here” Standing her back towards Mickey, Minnie made sure he didn’t see as she put her whole money back with its belongings in to the boy’s hand.  
“Thank you”, Jeffrey said, looking at his prize with amazement in his eyes. He was confused why Minnie was so happy but didn’t ask any questions as he had promised not to ask anything about Mortimer.  
Minnie ruffled Jeffrey’s hair.  
“Now run along”, she said. Jeffrey put the bag in his pocket and left, feeling proud of himself.  
“What was that about?” Mickey asked curious, approaching her. Minnie laughed, she was too happy to control herself: “Oh, nothing. I promised Jeffrey I wouldn’t tell anyone. It’s a secret. You know, kids have secrets”  
Minnie almost jumped on Mickey, embracing him. Suddenly everything was good again. Life was once again smiling at her and she felt warm inside.  
Mickey laughed too and nodded understandingly. They continued their walk, through the woods.  
It had been a while since Minnie had been able to let her guard down. Mortimer was a busy man; he could not stay here forever looking for her. He most likely assumed she had left the town, that she had fled from him, when he had not been able to find her from among the rich town folks.  
She wanted to believe that Mortimer would not come back to look for her.  
If faith was kind, Minnie would never have to see him again.

While Minnie slowly started to enjoy herself again, Magica felt more and more frustrated by the minute. She followed after _him_ anywhere he went, whether it was his royal duties he had to take care of or if he wanted just to sit down for a while and read a book in the library. He didn’t mind her presence at all. But still there was a distance between them that she wasn’t able to get pass.  
Whenever possible, when no one else was too close, she tried getting closer to him. She pulled him into a hug and embraced him too gently for him not to understand her message. She planted kisses on his cheeks, a little too close to his beak, for it to be innocent.  
The response Scrooge gave her, confused her. He didn’t outright push her away. He usually resisted, telling her: “Ye shouldn’t do that”, but often he almost gave in. He let her kiss him, sometimes he was about to kiss her back. His hands wandered uncertainly at her lower back. Then, always to Magica’s disappointment, he pulled himself away from her and continued whatever he had been doing as if nothing had happened between them.  
This left Magica confused yet more determined. The closer he let her the more she wanted him. Her lust for him only grew up to the point she could hardly control herself. She wanted him. Magica felt her heart beating fast, her face felt hot and she was often unable to think of anything else than Scrooge.  
Magica felt like she was on a battlefield. She wasn’t sure, whether Scrooge was her foe she had to beat or the prize of winning, but she was going to win him.  
“Does that feel good?” she asked.  
It was getting dark outside and the king had retired to his chambers. He was sitting by the fireplace, enjoying the warmth. Scrooge had not resisted as she had started to massage his neck. Scrooge just murmured something incomprehensible, but he sounded like he was enjoying himself.  
Slowly she started caressing his shoulders, arms and chest, bringing herself closer to him, breathing against his neck.  
Despite being behind him, and not seeing his face, Magica knew he had opened his eyes. His muscles tensed under her touch. She kissed his neck slowly, felt him shiver, and then she kissed his neck again. She was about to kiss his cheek as he suddenly stood up.  
Scrooge walked over to a nearby table, where laid a golden box. In that box he kept her sleeping potion.  
“Good night, Magica. I’ll see you tomorrow”, he said, with suspiciously shaky voice. He poured himself a goblet of water and mixed one drop of sleeping potion in it.  
Magica locked her gaze in him. She could sense the burning hot sensations in him, in this room, between them. Magica was like a tigress laying in ambush, waiting for the right moment to attack the prey. Now was her time to attack.  
Moving her hips seductively from side to side she walked closer to him. Their eyes met. She had a look, that scared him and excited him at the same time. He froze in his place, unable to bring the goblet to his beak so he could drink form it.  
“I’m not going anywhere”, Magica said. She undressed, letting her dress fall to the floor. She stood in front of him, revealing everything.  
Scrooge could no longer resist those captivating eyes and wild, untamed spirit of hers. And that body. He dropped the goblet and drew her close. They kissed and embraced with such force and the atmosphere was so fiery, it was as if they were battling one another, both trying to dominate.

  
As the king’s bed was filled with lust and passion, Donald, completely oblivious to all of this, sneaked once again to the Memory hall. The setting dark gave him the perfect cover to move unnoticed.  
Last time he had been here, Magica had almost caught him. However, she had been kind enough, or uninterest enough, not ask any questions. Donald moved back to the same painting he had been examining right before Magica had surprised him. It was a painting of his dear parents.  
Donald pressed the frames carefully and heard a gentle click. The painting moved, revealing a secret passageway that would allow him to leave the castle without anyone knowing.  
The castle was filled with secret passageways and everyone living in the castle knew at least one, but no one knew them all. This was a passageway only Donald and Della had known about. It lead to the dungeons and also to a underground tunnel that lead to the forest outside the castle. Now the prince was once again free to move in and out of the castle as he pleased, without anyone knowing about it.  
Donald stepped into the passageway and closed the door behind him.  
He was free once again.


End file.
